


I'm Always Here

by IncendiaGlacies



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/M, RipFic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 13:59:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10537944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: Four times Gideon was there for Rip, and one time Rip was there for Gideon. Can also be read as friendship





	

**Author's Note:**

> Spur of the moment writing because I'm shipping Rip/Gideon super hard but it can still be read as friendship for the most part. Enjoy!

1.

The first time he sets foot on the ship he can hardly believe it’s his. All his. He’s had to starve and kick and fight to get here. Almost lost the love of his life (but thank goodness Miranda is the wonderful woman she is and let him go forward with his dream – at the cost of her own) but here he is.

Captain Rip Hunter. Captain of the Waverider. He rather likes the ring to that.

After his mentor leaves him, Rip starts laughing like a child and touches everything in his reach nearly tripping over the pilot’s seat in front of him.

“Careful there, Captain. Wouldn’t want you to get injured before we’ve even gotten started.”

Rip startles at the woman’s voice and whirls around to see a floating head above the console. Ah the AI. Standard for every timeship.

“Ah yes, hello. Rip Hunter, captain of the Waverider,” he responds trying to assert his new position.

“Yes, of course Captain Hunter. The Time Masters have briefed me on everything I need to know about you,” the woman responds, “I am Gideon your Artificial Intelligence.”

A Gideon program. It’s an older version, not expected for a newer ship such as the Waverider. But still, it’s his ship and his AI. Certainly a nice step up from Lieutenant.

“It’s nice to meet you Gideon.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance as well,” she responds in a cheerful voice. Rip might have to change that programming. Such a peppy voice could get grating after a while. There’s a beat of silence when no one talks.

“Right then. Are you just going to be around there all the time?” Rip gestures once again to the floating head. He thinks it doesn’t fit her quite.

The head disappears but a disembodied voice answers, “I do not have to always be present in an avatar form. But I am always present on this ship should you ever need help. Unless the power goes out. Then I basically die. I really hate it when that happens.”

Rip has to laugh at that. He’s worked with other AI’s before. Miranda’s AI Gary was very obedient. And Godfrey was extremely monotonous. He’s never had an AI with a sense of humor like Gideon. He thinks he might come to enjoy it.

“Well then Gideon. All of time awaits us. Where do you think we should start?”

“Might I suggest the 1800’s Captain? The Wild West is always entertaining. And the Time Masters have reported aberrations in that time period.”

“Sounds perfect,” Rip responds and heads off to the pilot’s seat.

2.

“How could you forget to turn her off?”

Rip sighed again. When he planned on taking his wife time travelling for their anniversary he wasn’t expecting this many arguments. Not how he planned their date to go. It didn’t help that Miranda had seemed on edge the last few times he had been home, always stressed. She had said she had big news and Rip immediately imagined that the Time Masters had found about them and how they were going to get away.

Instead what transpired was they were going for a picnic in 1920’s Central Park and Miranda started feeling ill. And when Rip insisted taking her to the med bay, Gideon decided to speak up and inform Rip that his wife was pregnant. Which on any normal day would have led to elation and celebration but all Miranda could focus on was the fact that Rip hadn’t turned off the AI of the ship and that Gideon would now be forced to report their illicit relationship.

“I didn’t forget to turn her off. I chose not to. Gideon hates being turned off,” Rip explained trying to take his wife (his pregnant wife) into his arms and console her.

“It’s true. It’s really not a pleasant experience and I would not recommend it,” Gideon piped up. Rip took a second to spare a glare at the ceiling, now was not the time to help!

“And will you report us?” Miranda asked.

Gideon paused for a moment before answering, “No. I have known some time about Captain Hunter’s relationship with you. I did not report it then and I will not now.”

“Why not?” Miranda asked. Rip squeezed her shoulder in reassurance. He knew Miranda was only worried because her AI Gary would not hesitate to report any sort of rule breaking.

Gideon did not respond for the longest time, causing Rip to prompt her, “Gideon?”

“He is my captain. It is my purpose as an AI to make sure Captain Hunter is safe at all times.”

Rip smiled, “There you see? It’s all going to be fine! Miranda, a baby! I’m going to be a father!” Miranda smiled at that and kissed him happily. Oh he couldn’t wait to see Miranda as a mother, she was going to be amazing.

After some more kissing and a belated picnic Miranda headed off to get some sleep and Rip went off to his parlor to get some work done.

“I am sorry about my interference Captain. I did not mean to cause your wife distress,” Gideon interrupted his silence as Rip was looking through the case files.

“Don’t worry about it Gideon,” Rip didn’t even look up from his files so used to conversing with Gideon, “I know you wouldn’t tell anyone about us. You’re far too loyal. Honestly I forget that you’re aware of everything on this ship all the time.” 

Sometimes he forgot Gideon was an AI and not a person. She had far more personality than the other programs. Something that the Time Masters would want to fix, but Rip couldn’t bear the thought of losing his friend.

“Of course Captain. I am always here.”

Rip rolled his eyes, “Yes you are,” taking a deep breath he continued, “I’m going to be a dad, Gideon.”

“Indeed you are Captain Hunter. Congratulations. I know becoming a parent is supposed to be life changing,” she sounded truly pleased for him.

“Yes. I suppose it is,” Rip put down his files before looking up to voice his fears, “Do you think I’ll be a good father?”

Without hesitation Gideon responded, “Of course. I believe you are going to be an amazing father. I believe in you Captain.”

Rip shook his head but smiled down at his papers as he muttered, “Far too loyal, Gideon.”

3.

“Rip, we need to talk.”

The captain of the Waverider didn’t even look up as he tried to dismiss his intruder, “Mr. Jackson as you can see I am working on finding the next location we can stop Savage. I do not have time to talk.”

“No, not just me. All of us.” That had Rip looking up. They hadn’t even been onboard that long. The team had said they had forgiven him for his lies, surely they weren’t going to mutiny now?

“What is it now?” Rip answered slightly annoyed to mask he worry. He followed Jax out of the parlor to the bridge where the team had gathered. Mick had his heat gun out and Ray and Martin were currently trying to stop him from doing anything drastic. Snart was egging his partner in crime on while Kendra watched from afar with a look of worry on her face. Sara sat in his pilot’s seat and looked half bored and half entertained by the antics.

“What is the problem?” Rip yelled at his team. When they all quieted down and no one seemed keen to answer – in fact Snart and Rory were currently glaring at Jax for getting Rip involved in the first place. Instead Rip turned to the ceiling and asked “Gideon?”

“I’m here, Captain,” she responded, “Some members of the team seem to be having a hard time adjusting to the ship.” Rip frowned at that and turned to the team, raising his eyebrow in question.

“We don’t have a problem with the ship. I like it, nice and homey,” Snart drawled, “We have a problem with the talkative AI that won’t leave us alone.”

Rip looked around at the team, most of whom looked sheepish with the exception of a few that looked out right murderous.

Finally Sara stepped forward, “Look it’s not that we don’t like her. It’s just that she’s always there.”

“That is my purpose Ms. Lance. To be of any assistance needed,” Gideon explained.

“Yes, but sometimes it’s a bit much,” Sara responded through gritted teeth.

“She keeps fabricating me vegetables,” Mick growled, “I hate eating healthy.”

“And telling me I’m not allowed to bring my steals on board,” Snart complained.

“Proper nourishment is important Mr. Rory. And Mr. Snart you cannot steal objects from different eras. You are meant to prevent time aberrations not cause them,” Gideon chided.

“While Rory and Snart have their own problems, I must admit even I am having a somewhat hard time adapting to Gideon’s constant presence,” Dr. Stein spoke up, “It is rather hard to think with the constant interruptions.”

“Or when you want some alone time. Like is she aware of when we go take a shower and stuff?” Ray rambled, looking suddenly worried about the prospect. That caused the entire team to go off and express their own concerns and soon Rip lost track of who was saying what.

The Captain let out a piercing whistle to get their attention. Once it was quiet again he stared at Jax. As he was the one to find Rip, he should explain.  
“What exactly would you like me to do? Gideon is always present,” Rip stated. It was a fact.

“Look, can’t you just power her down or override her command or something. In the 21st century privacy is kinda a big deal to us,” Jax shrugged.

Rip looked at his team and saw this was the consensus among them, “I could. But I’m not going to.” The team exploded again and began shouting how he was unfair.

Rip held up a hand to stop them all, “I know it doesn’t make sense to you. But to power her down would be the equivalent of killing her or putting her to sleep against her will. And to override her, that’s just wrong. I could never do that. Take away her free will?”

“She’s a computer on a ship,” Snart glared.

Rip glared at that, “She’s an Artificial Intelligence with the brain of a supercomputer who happens to take care of every little thing on this ship which is why she is omnipresent. She also happens to have a name and thoughts of her own. And while we’re on the subject you’re not the only ones adjusting. Gideon now has to deal with not just looking after me but seven more people who are thieves, assassins and hardly ever clean up after themselves.”

The Legends looked properly chastised at that so Rip sighed and continued, “That being said I can assure you that Gideon is not fully aware of everything. Everything that happens on this ship is like in her periphery vision, she’ll only do or say something if she feels necessary.”

The team grumbled but looked slightly more reassured as the dispersed from the bridge.

Rip pressed his fingers to his temple and tried to assuage the oncoming migraine, “Gideon?” There was silence. Rip sighed, “Gideon. I know you’re there. Don’t think you’re off the hook either.”

“I was merely looking out for the team, Captain,” Gideon asserted.

“There’s looking out and there’s being a mothering hen. They’re not children, they don’t need to be treated like it.”

“Could have fooled me. Your son was much better behaved than this. But fine, I promise to reel back on my concerns. However if Dr. Palmer ruins another wall with doing test runs on his suit then I will lock him in his room with no regrets.”

Rip laughed, “Of course you will. Just make sure he gets food I suppose.”

“Very well.”

“And Gideon?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“Don’t ever change.” Not for the Legends. Not anybody. Gideon was the only thing that kept him sane these days.

“Of course not, Captain.”

4.

“Play it again.” Rip ordered as he took another drink in defeat.

“Captain, perhaps we should go back for the team?” Gideon asked reservedly.

“No. There’s no point. Carter is gone. Savage has Kendra. And I’m fairly certain Ms. Lance will want me dead when she finds out about her sister.”

“You were doing well with a team. Much better than your current state of affairs,” Gideon pointed out somewhat harshly.

“Are you judging me?” Rip frowned at the ceiling.

“I am merely pointing out that you are now on your third bottle of alcohol and watching clips of your family is not getting the job done.”

“How dare you! I have just lost my family for what feels like the hundredth time only now I know that I can’t get them back. The Time Masters betrayed my trust in the worst way possible. And I failed the team that was probably my only chance to setting things right. I am completely alone right now, Gideon. I think I’m entitled to a drink,” he shouted at the ceiling and breathed heavily after his tirade.

“I’m still here, Captain.”

“Yes, a lot of good that is. You’re not even a real person. A program!” Rip yelled.

Silence. Never in all his years aboard the Waverider had he ever treated Gideon that way. He’d never been so angry. So empty. So defeated. There was no response from Gideon. He waited, surely she would say something. She would refuse, rebut his wrong statement. Something, anything. Minutes ticked by and there was not a single noise from Gideon.

Rip Hunter didn’t know he could be so alone.

The feeling was almost instantly sobering. He dropped the now empty bottle on the ground, turned off the holographic projections and rubbed his eyes trying to erase the burning of tears.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’m sorry Gideon. I didn’t mean it.”

“Yes you did.” The response was curt. Almost emotionless coming from Gideon.

“I’m just upset. And drunk. And I shouldn’t be taking it out on you. I’m sorry.”

Silence again.

“Please, Gideon,” Rip begged. He wasn’t used to the silent treatment. Not from Gideon. Whenever he couldn’t sleep or lonely or needed to voice his thoughts Gideon was always there to listen. To advise. She was always there.

“I understand grief has many stages and one such stage is anger,” Gideon treaded softly.

Rip slumped against the chair, letting go of the tension, “Yes. I suppose it is. I really am sorry.”

“I know, Captain,” Gideon forgave. But it wasn’t enough.

“I didn’t mean it. You know that. You’re one of the most real things I’ve ever known. You’re not just a program to me. You know that.” 

Gideon had to know. She could access dreams, she had accessed his dreams on the occasions he had nightmares. She was a person to him. An actual person. Not just a voice or a program.

“You tend to say many mean things when you have too much to drink.”

Rip was almost grateful for the scolding. Gideon had never held back on him before. She could refuse his orders if they were life threatening or just plain stupid. And on multiple occasions she never held back from telling him she didn’t agree with his plans. He would take a scolding over a silent treatment any day.

“Yes. I suppose I do. I am sorry for taking it out on you. I just…I don’t know what to do any more.”

“Perhaps getting some sleep would help your predicament.” The ship’s hallways lit up a path to his room.

Rip squinted at the light blearily and clambered up, leaning on the wall for support as he made his way down.

“You’re probably right.”

“I usually am. You could also restrain from drinking so much,” Gideon added sharply.

Rip paused at his room, his hand rested on the doorway as if to comfort her, “Maybe. I really am sorry I hurt you.”

“I believe you, Captain Hunter.”

“Will you forgive me?” Rip waited. Gideon was one of his oldest friends. And the only one he had now.

“I already have.”

“Why?”

There was no response. 

“Gideon?” Rip worried that he had lost her again.

“You should get some sleep, Captain,” Gideon said softly.

Rip sighed, realizing she simply didn’t want to answer him. And he certainly wasn’t going to order it out of her. Not after the way he had acted.

“Okay, just…could you stay? I mean-”

“I know. I’m right here if you need me, Captain.”

+1

“Is she going to be alright?”

“How is this even possible?”

“Man if I ever see Thawne again I am going to-”

“Does anybody actually know how to fly this ship? Or how to work anything?”

“I’m still confused how you guys knew who she was.”

“For the hundredth time Nate, we met her in Rip’s mind!”

“Okay but if that was in Rip’s mind why does she look exactly like-”

“Forget what she looks like should we talk about how she almost died? I swear-”

“Can we even get her back to normal? What if we can’t? What about the ship-”

“We’ll figure it out. What I’m worried about is-”

“Can you all just please shut up!” Rip yelled finally stopping the overlapping voices from talking. He turned from his seat in the med bay to stare at the rest of the team and glared, “I am just as confused as all of you. But right now I have bigger issues on my mind,” he nodded to motionless woman in the cot he was sitting by, “So Mr. Rory and Ms. Jiwe are going to navigate and Ms. Lance is piloting the ship. You can take us back to 2017, I imagine you all deserve a break anyways now that the Spear of Destiny is destroyed and the Legion has scattered.”

Rip glared, daring any of them to question him. Sara nodded once and took Mick and Amaya with her to the bridge.

“Martin, Dr. Palmer would you mind running her vitals again?” Ray and Martin nodded and began looking at the screen, avoiding any conversation with their previous captain.

Jax went on to the other of the cot and held the woman’s other hand just as Rip was doing. Nate awkwardly stood at the foot of the cot as if not sure where he should be. 

“So,” Nate started, “that’s Gideon,” he gestured at the woman in the cot.

Rip stroked her hair back as he stared at her worriedly, not even sparing the other man a glance, “Yes. It is.”

Nate nodded as he took in the last few hours. The Legion had used the Spear of Destiny to turn their AI into a human. For whatever reason Thawne needed some information from her and since she refused to divulge anything as an AI the next best option was to turn her into a human and try to torture it out of her.

Needless to say the former Captain Rip Hunter was not at all happy about this. Neither were the Legends of course. Gideon was a member of the team, whether or not she had a body. So they saved her just in time, but she had passed out from the ordeal. And the Spear of Destiny had finally been destroyed for good.

Of course this meant that any changes made to reality were now permanent. Gideon was now a human. Time travel really hurt his head sometimes.

“She should be waking up soon,” Dr. Stein spoke up. Rip nodded and squeezed her hand.

“So you saw her in Rip’s mind?” Ray asked.

“Yeah, when we were getting him back to his old self,” Jax answered. Beside him Gideon began to groan.

Rip immediate cupped her face, “Gideon? Are you awake? Can you hear me?”

She groaned again and nodded before pressing closer to her Captain’s touch.

“It is rather remarkable that the form she took is the same form that Mr. Hunter views her in,” Martin continued a conversation with Ray. Jax glared at them both as if to say ‘now is really not the time.’

“Not really,” Gideon said softly as she slowly opened her eyes. Ignoring Rip’s shushing and his attempts to keep her lying down, she began to slowly sit up and take a look around her. Then she stopped and stared at the professor, “He’s been my Captain for over a decade now. It was the strongest psychic link I had to any human. Of course I would take on a form he was familiar with.”

“Well I never really imagined you as, well, you know,” Nate gestured to her as he ran out of words to say.

Gideon looked rather unimpressed as she responded, “What? Human?”

Jax laughed, “I think what he’s trying to say is he never thought you’d be this hot.”

“Yes, well apparently Captain Lance shares the sentiment,” Gideon said succinctly. Then she turned to her Captain, “And…what do you think?”

Rip shook his head and moved his hands up and down her arms, as if making sure she was real and solid and there, “I’m just happy you’re alive. And okay.”

Gideon grabbed his wrists to still his movements, “Of course, Captain.” Then she paused and in wonder she said, “I’m alive. I’m…I’m human?”

Rip nodded and smiled but Gideon didn’t. She continued to stare.

“But you can change me back right? Reality has been altered in a way it should never be.”

Rip looked away from her and at his remaining team members. Jax took one look and nodded before ushering the rest of the boys out, squeezing Gideon’s shoulder reassuringly on his way out.

Gideon looked down as Rip took her hands in his, rubbing circles on the back of her palms to soothe her.

“Gideon?”

She looked up and saw his face close to hers. “Yes, Captain?”

“We can’t…the Spear was destroyed. Reality has set in. I’m afraid…you’re going to stay human, Gideon.”

“But,” Gideon faltered. Already the new body was failing her. Everything felt so much more. Sharper. Clearer. As an AI she was aware of emotions, she allowed them as a flaw in her code. But now, it was like someone had debugged her and her mind was working ten times faster.

She could hear her heart beating as her Captain stared at her. She couldn’t concentrate, not with him so close to her and looking at her so intensely. She had never had this, it was all too much. She could feel her eyes beginning to burn from the overload of emotions.

Rip must have noticed as his hands came to her face and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. He pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, “Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay. It’s all going to be fine. I promise.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Gideon confessed. It was a frightening thought. She could feel that she still had the same supercomputer brain as before. The same knowledge. But her place on the ship used to be controlling the ship. Now what could she do as a human? What was her place on this team? Did she ever have one? 

“You won’t need me anymore.” The thought terrified her.

“Don’t say that,” Rip dragged her into his arms and hugged her, “We are always going to need you. Especially me. I’ve told you before, I have always seen you as a person and you have always mattered to me. Nothing has changed. Besides, maybe now the rest of the Legends will be more scared of you when you give them your look of disappointment. I need someone to help me keep them in line.”

Gideon hiccupped a laugh. Her first laugh. Being human was so different. She rested her cheek against her Captain’s chest as he wiped her cheeks and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“Captain?”

“I’m here, Gideon,” Rip tightened his hold around her, “I’ll always be here for you.”


End file.
